Public Statements

Putting Americans First

Floor Speech

Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, on the Joe Scarborough Show, Richard Haass, Chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations, said China had been investing in its economy over the last 10 years while we have been investing in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr.

Haass proudly described himself as an elitist. Well, it is elitists like him and the organization he heads who helped lead to the rush to an unnecessary war in Iraq, and continues to push military and civilian spending in Iraq and Afghanistan that we simply cannot afford. These people apparently are not happy unless we are spending hundreds of billions in other countries.

Mr. Haass seemingly did not feel guilty at all when he said China had invested in its economy while we have blown a couple of trillion dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Well, it's long past time for us to bring our troops and contractors home and start investing in our own economy. And it is time for us to start putting Americans first and stop spending so much money and sending so many jobs to other countries.